Sharks, getting lost and sunburns

Do you ever get the feeling that you are standing at the edge of the water, fully knowing that you have to jump in head first and start swimming for the island that you can just barely see in the distance but also knowing that the water happens to be shark infested? I've had that feeling for a while now but my shoreline is also filled with onlookers; some of them are rooting me on and others are there watching and hoping that I fail and get bitten by a shark on the way. Thankfully all of my supporters often drown out the noise of those who hope I fail but it can sometimes be overwhelming and difficult to determine where some people stand. I know that I am embarking on what is sure to be a tough swim but I am also so excited to see the program and team become successful. For now though I am going to try to enjoy just being at this point in my life...I'm engaged to the man of my dreams (who is certainly one of my biggest supporters!), I just got promoted to my dream job, I can make ends meet while still being lucky enough to have Lou and Spence in my life and I get to hug a horse everyday of my life. So I will enjoy all of those joys in my life and attempt to relax and take each part of the swim as it comes at me.

One of the greatest parts of this point in Mike and I's life is the fact that we are surrounded by people who love, support and truly care about us....and our apartment. Thank you so much to Mrs. Denniston for completing the decorating of our bathroom in an adorable nautical, preppy feel!! Our apartment is really starting to feel like a home...room by room. Georgia itself is also starting to feel like home as we get to go out and explore more of it each weekend. Last weekend we headed up to High Falls State Park for a day of hiking and of course a day of getting lost in the woods. If you haven't heard a story about me getting lost...well then you've never heard any of my stories! At least it was a pretty place to get lost!

Rule breaker!!

It was a great way to end the weekend before Mike started his new job! This weekend we stayed closer to home and I attempted to even out my farmer's tan before our engagement photo shoot....attempt is the key word there. Along with getting lost I also have an uncanny ability to burn the heck out of my skin. So now I am nursing a lovely sunburn that will hopefully turn to a slight tan (fingers crossed) before our engagement photos in Savannah next weekend.  Hoping that everyone else got to enjoy some awesome weather over the past weeks as well...and hopefully remembered sunscreen!

Just in case you needed a little pick me up this week

This video will give you a glimpse into our southern lives...and a good laugh!

Birthdays and horse shows

I'd like to start out this post by saying thank you so much to everyone for all of the birthday wishes this past week. It means so much to me to have so many supportive and loving people in my life and all of the cards, packages and phone calls truly brightened my day! Aside from my birthday, this past weekend was a whirlwind of activity as we hosted a schooling show at Wesleyan College. We lucked out with the weather and had a wonderful day of sunshine and mid 70's along with the perfect cooling breeze. It was a long but successful day filled with lots of happy horses and riders. It went so well that we've had tons of requests to host more shows so I guess I should prepare myself for even more horse show weekends!

Down here in Georgia I've learned that spring means completely random weather....one day its in the 80's and the next day its raining and 50. So, of course, the day after the show it was raining but it still made for a nice day to visit Lou pony to wish him a belated birthday.

Happy 12th birthday Lou pony!! (He was searching for more peppermints:)

The horribly sad events in Boston and Texas this week have made Mike and I hug each other a little harder and truly cherish all that we have and the people in our lives. We are keeping all of the victims of both tragedies in our prayers.

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."

Matthew 5:9

Spring visits!

This week Mike and I were super excited to have a visit from Mr. and Mrs. Denniston! It is always so nice to be with family and certainly made our little apartment feel much more like home. While we love the weather down here it can be a tad bit lonely without our families within a close driving distance but it makes any visits that we get that much more special. This particular visit may have made Mrs. Denniston realize that I'm obsessed with Pinterest as the majority of our recipes have been found on there and every crafty item in our apartment is somehow Pinterest inspired. My wedding notebook is also practically filled to the brim with Pinterest inspiration...I mean really, how impossible would it be to plan a wedding without it?! In case anyone is super curious here is a link to my Pinterest boards...prepare yourself for a lot of wedding and nautical pins!

The Denniston turtle release also went off without a hitch on Tuesday afternoon. Mike and I took advantage of the warm weather this afternoon and took a stroll around the pond; we're pretty sure we spotted one of the Denniston turtles looking quite happy in their new home:)

I'd say they are living the life...huge pond and weather in the high 70's all weekend

And some pretty adorable pond mates...ducklings!!

I am so excited that spring is finally here! The weather and blooms everywhere certainly do wonders in  lifting the spirits. The warm weather also does wonders for making certain ponies behave themselves, especially now that I am schooling everything in the barn along with Courtenay's horse Pride who has joined the ranks of the lesson horses this semester. With a crazy schooling and lesson schedule I believe Spence started to think he was on retirement, little did he know I was just waiting for a burst of energy and motivation and it came along this weekend. Thankfully my motivation level turns to high when the weather hits above 60 so its full steam ahead into spring and show season. Speaking of shows, we are prepping the barn for our first Wesleyan schooling show next weekend so fingers crossed that our weather stays super nice! On another exciting note...this week it became official that I will be the head IHSA coach next year for Wesleyan College! I am very excited to start motivating the team and making goals for a successful show season next year! Wish us luck!!!

Who wouldn't be smiling when they live in the cherry blossom capital of the south?

Happy Easter

Mike and I hope that everyone had a wonderful and relaxing Easter! This weekend we were blessed with beautiful southern weather in the mid 70s, it certainly lifted our spirits from their winter blues. While its been really tough being so far from all of our family and friends, Mike and I have tried to keep fun holiday traditions alive with each other...so this weekend we dyed Easter eggs! Every time we put our own twist on family traditions we have so much fun reminiscing about our family memories and all of the hilarious stories that have come about from them.We also received a wonderful Easter surprise of goodies from my parents on Saturday so we have been full of Easter joy.

Spring blooms always have a way of brightening the day.

Getting ready to be Easter bunnies

Big kid

Easter Sunday, of course, started with chores out at the barn. Like I've said before a holiday with me just isn't complete without the ponies! After finishing up at Wesleyan we headed up to see Lou pony who was certainly feeling the spring fever today! It is so nice seeing him so happy and so spirited lately. After so many ups and downs with soundness and other leg issues it is really nice to see him truly enjoying his retirement.

Lou enjoying a romp around his retirement field:)

Once we got home it was time to figure out Easter dinner. Mike made an awesome brown sugar glazed ham in the crockpot that made our apartment smell amazing. I made a sweet potato casserole and biscuits to go with the ham and thankfully everything turned out wonderfully. I swear my grandmother must have been watching me make that casserole and slightly giggling but she saved my butt when she sent Mike into the kitchen to ask about the brown sugar...which I had forgotten to mix in! Once that slight mishap was fixed everything else went off without a hitch.

Now its time to relax and enjoy some black jellybeans to end a nice Easter. Love y'all and happy Easter!

In the South...

Living here in Macon has been...interesting. At times it seems just like any other town in America, at times it can be a bit sketchy and then there are those wonderful moments when it feels like the South that you read about in books and see in the movies. Taking a little me time at the hair salon today reminded me of just how southern it can be. You know you are in the south when:

Your hair stylist is wearing cowboy boots...and actually pulling it off.

There are at least five women in the salon wearing something with a monogram...including your hair stylist.

The most popular topic of conversation is what church everyone is going to for Easter service.

You literally feel like you are sitting in a sorority house with the nicest girls you have ever met.

I'd say its pretty obvious why I absolutely love the hair salon that I go to down here, thank God for the south!

On a side note: I found this on pinterest the other day and immediately thought of the Denniston family. So this is for you Mr. and Mrs. Dennniston

 

Bombproofing 101

This past weekend wrapped up the week long Cherry Blossom Festival here in Macon,Ga and Wesleyan College is the annual host of the grande finale fireworks. While this event certainly brings a crowd to Wesleyan and gives the college some much needed community support, it also brings about a large amount of stress for anyone involved with the Equestrian Center. The fireworks were awesome and an odd sight to see in the sky during March but they were also just a couple of football field lengths away from the barn! Anyone who has been around horses understands that loud...very very loud...noises and flight animals just don't mix! To prep all of the horses we stuffed their ears with cotton to muffle the sounds, loaded up some of the most skittish horses so they could be off campus for the show and then prayed that everyone would contain their crazy long enough to get through the show. Thankfully everything went smoothly and most of the horses settled down rather quickly once the fireworks were underway. During times like this I just look at Spence and think "By the time we get out to a show you are going to be so bombproof!" At this point Spence deals with children riding bikes, people fishing, softball practice, tennis practice and construction on a daily basis. Add fireworks to that list and now I'm pretty sure there is nothing that will shake us as a new scary object when we travel out to shows!

Spence with his "earplugs" 

The excitement for this week didn't end on Sunday, thankfully though the excitement became much less stressful after Sunday. This past Tuesday I was able to travel back to Savannah again to meet up with another long lost friend from VI, Erin!! Erin just happens to be in Florida this week for a wedding and when we looked at a map we realized that Savannah would be the perfect midway meeting point....2 1/2 hours seems like nothing when you haven't seen someone in almost a year! It was so wonderful to be able to vent, chat and laugh with someone who completely understands the VI point of view. We also got to explore a bit of Savannah down on River Street, even though it was insanely windy! The streets down by the river were all cobblestone and lined with little shops and cafes. Every where you turn it feels like you have been thrown into a Nicholas Sparks' movie set with all of the romantic details of the town. I am so lucky that Erin has a photographer's eye and we were able to scout out some great spots for engagement pictures for Mike and I. I am so excited for the next trip back and hope that Savannah continues to be a meeting place for a lot more friends!

Please ignore our lovely hair...like I said it was a tad windy!

I love all of the unique gardens, bridges, streets and trees in Savannah

Mike and I hope everyone is having a great week and hoping the weather up north is starting to feel more like spring! Y'all are always welcome to come down to peachy Georgia for a visit!

Tunes and Balloons

Spring break at Wesleyan this week brought about a much needed week of peace and quiet with plenty of riding time at the barn. Henry and Catch have been doing awesome and both are looking at being back in the college lesson program very very soon. We also had another great surprise this week...a new horse! Tres arrived on Tuesday afternoon and has settled in wonderfully. He is a huge...at least 17.2 hands...Hanoverian gelding from Statesboro,Ga. Mike has decided to adopt him as his own as Tres is a tad bit afraid of men, so far though Mike has been able to lead him in and out from the barn and pastures so hopefully he'll come around.

Tres and I after his first ride at Wesleyan..also apparently his first ride in over a month..ha!

Spring break has also brought about some amazing weather down here! Yesterday hit around 70 and today's high was 77, the wind kept it fairly cool though but still very nice. After heading out to the barn to turn out ponies this morning (hot air balloons taking off from across the field did not agree with the ponies this morning so they got a late turnout) we took a nice walk around the "lake" and then went off shopping...Mike's most favorite way to pass the time.

Then we ventured out for some Macon fun at the kick off of the Cherry Blossom Festival which will run through next Sunday with a finale of fireworks at Wesleyan. Tonight's event was held at Macon State College and hosted the hot air balloons along with live music. The great weather along with a really good band made for a nice relaxing evening with our little picnic while we waited for the balloons to fire up. Since it has been pretty windy down here lately they were unable to actually lift off with the balloons but they were still pretty during the sunset.

Sweet tea, fresh fruit and our picnic basket:)

Starting to fire up the balloons.

Glowing hot air balloons after the sunset

We hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend and Happy St Patrick's Day!!